Dream machine for a weekend getaway

By Brian Harper, Postmedia News

Originally published: July 20, 2010

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As much as it was our wedding anniversary, I didn’t think I was being totally out of line — when daughter and wife asked what might be appropriate to celebrate such an occasion– in replying that a sports car would do quite nicely. After all, I reasoned, I had asked for so little in previous years — a home-cooked meal here, something for the house there. What harm would there be in upping the ante, especially since I was already testing something quite suitable — a gleaming white Audi TTS roadster? Just call up my PR contact at Audi Canada and explain to him that he couldn’t have his car back, that Dad/hubby was getting spoiled this year.

Ah, the efforts of the foolish. I received cards, a cool sport watch, some summer duds and a “get real/nice try” from spawn and spouse. And, wiping a tear from my eye, I sadly returned the TTS to its rightful owner — but not before giving it a proper workout.

While I can’t quite admit to lusting after the TT, which was first introduced in 1999, I have been an ardent admirer of its curvy inverted bathtub look. And, unlike rival BMW, which couldn’t help but improve on the impetuously overstyled Z4, the second go-round of the TT didn’t stray too far from the original’s avant-garde sheet-metal, imbuing the two-seater with a tauter, more muscular look to go with a slight increase in size.

To further enhance the image of strength, Audi has blessed the TT with the S version (hence TTS), massaging the 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI engine’s various components (turbo, injection system, engine management, intercooler, exhaust system, etc.) to the point where the four-cylinder bench presses a hearty 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. While not quite the stuff of legends, this is still more than enough scoot for the 1,540-kilogram roadster to lay down some serious performance numbers, such as 5.4 seconds from standstill to 100 kilometres an hour and 4.7 seconds to drop a couple of cogs on the sweet six-speed DSG manumatic and zip to 120 km/h from 80. It’s noteworthy that the TTS’s turbo four is more powerful than the TT’s optional 3.2L V6, not to mention faster and more fuel efficient (when not hot-footing away from stoplights).

Aiding and abetting the TTS’s estimable performance is Audi’s renowned quattro all-wheel drive. There’s nary a whisper of wheelspin when the roadster takes off — and take off it does, although there is a hint of initial hesitation while the turbo spools up. Run the engine up close to redline and there is a delicious turbo “pop” from the exhaust with each paddle upshift of the DSG tranny. Even dedicated manual users (including myself ) will have to admit the near-instantaneous automatic shifts are cleaner and faster than self-clutching. Besides, there’s no manual box available, so you might as well embrace the technology. The lazy can just drop the shifter into drive — the TTS is no prima donna in city traffic — although this does exacerbate that initial hesitation at takeoff.

Said quattro, along with the magnetic ride sport suspension — an adaptive damping system that allows the driver to select between normal comfort and sporty firm at the touch of a button — and the tester’s optional ($1,000) P255/35R19 performance rubber, combine to bestow beau-coup de grip with negligible body roll. Some quality track time might expose a few flaws in the setup, but, in everyday use, the TTS corners with an aplomb that leaves me giddy. On one occasion, after a brief but intense thunderstorm left a puddle of water across a fairly tight blind corner that I was approaching at an exaggerated rate of knots, a quick stab of the brakes (which are massively powerful and capable of hauling the Audi to a stop from 100 km/h in less than 35 metres) scrubbed off most of the speed, while the quattro system tracked the car through the turn without even a hint of wiggle (but with a most impressive wake).

Audi eschews the current trend — some say stubbornly — to equip its roadster with a convertible hardtop. That said, the lightweight, fully automatic soft-top with its Zfolding mechanism takes up very little space when folded, integrating seamlessly into the body contours. The top locks into place and lies flush with the body, eliminating the need for a tonneau cover. A single touch of the centre console-located button starts the al fresco process, which takes a short 12 seconds to complete. When up, the soft-top’s acoustic mat keeps wind noise well muted. When driving top down, an electric, retractable mesh wind deflector lessens buffeting in the cabin.

The cabin itself is more than comfortable for two, with plenty of legroom and headroom for those more than six feet tall. The tester came with something Audi calls Madras Brown Baseball Optic leather seats ($2,900). Think of it as sitting in giant, broken-in baseball gloves. Gorgeous, and sublimely restful! The flat-bottom steering wheel is a tad Speed Racer-ish. Conversely, my long legs appreciated the extra inch or two of room. As might be expected of a sports car with a price tag on the north side of $60,000, a full suite of the usual modern conveniences are included.

Although capricious by nature when it comes to roadsters of the sporting variety, I would have to elevate the TTS to the top of my list, certainly demoting the BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK (however, I am waffling when it comes to Porsche’s Boxster). Quick, capable and stylistically extroverted, the TTS is also extremely comfortable transportation for two, which is to say it makes a superlative weekend getaway machine. But, since my wife and daughter didn’t step up to the plate, I guess I will have to put my trust in lottery tickets to make this happen.